Page 9 of Rok’s Captive (Barbarians of the Dust #1)

FIRST AID ACROSS GALAXIES: RESULTS MAY VARY

JUSTINE

E verything hurts. Out of seemingly nowhere, my skin goes on fire, and the heat has somehow seeped into my bones. Every movement sends fresh waves of agony rolling through me, and my limbs feel like they’ve been replaced with lead.

My skin is burning, but not just from fever. It’s as if something deeper pulses beneath the surface. A restless, gnawing heat. I twist, trying to rid myself of the sensation, my thighs pressing together as a familiar ache throbs between them. What the hell? I haven’t been touched in months, years, but my body is reacting like I’m being teased by invisible hands. A whimper escapes my lips, and I bite down hard.

This isn’t normal. This isn’t me.

When I open my eyes, the cave is empty.

The alien? Gone.

He left.

A strange hollowness settles in my chest. Something I’d rather not think about too closely. I should be glad he’s gone.

This is my chance. I can get out now. Head back to the bus.

But when I try to stand, my legs buckle. The world tilts, nausea clawing up my throat. It takes all my strength just to crawl to the cooler stone in the corner of the cave.

“Get up,” I whisper to myself. “Come on, Justine. Get up. You’ve got this. You’re not dying in a cave in the center of this fucking amped-up Sahara.”

The rational part of my brain whispers about heat exhaustion, dehydration, and the dangers of overheating. But rational thought is becoming harder to hold on to because of this rising fever.

God, my clothes. They’re sticking to my skin, making everything feel worse. With fumbling fingers, I tear off my top, then my shoes, then my pants—anything to cool down. The stone feels blissfully cool against my burning skin, but the relief is short-lived.

“Water,” I croak, but there is no one to hear me. My last water packet is still in my bag, but I can’t bring myself to touch it. If I use it now, I’ll have nothing left for the trip back.

Oh fuck. Is this how I die? Curled in a ball in an alien cave, slow-cooked from the inside out while Jacqui waits for me to come back? She’ll never know what happened to me. None of them will.

A sound at the cave entrance jerks me back to awareness.

At first, I think it’s one of those creatures from earlier. But no.

Through fever-blurred vision, I see him—the alien. He’s standing there, something clutched in his hand, his entire body gone rigid as he stares at me.

He came back.

I can’t believe it. He came back for me.

I try to speak, to ask for help, but all that comes out is a weak moan. My eyes flutter shut, but I force them open again just in time to see the soft glow that had emanated from his skin before suddenly flare bright. I swear I see stars…and they’re under his skin. His light flickers and dims, then flares again, like a heartbeat gone haywire. His eyes seem to change too—the pupils contracting to pinpoints before expanding to consume nearly the entire iris.

I should be afraid. Definitely afraid.

Instead, I’m transfixed.

The alien makes a sound—a low rumble that’s somewhere between a growl and a purr. It vibrates deep in his chest, sending a strange shiver down my spine. He moves toward me slowly. Stalking rather than walking.

I should run.

Instead, I whisper, “Please.”

I’m not even sure what I’m asking for. Help? Mercy? Water? All the above?

Before I can process what’s happening, he’s on me. One moment, he’s across the cave, and the next, his much larger body is looming over mine, pinning me to the ground.

Panic flares through me, but I’m too weak to fight him off.

“W-what…” All the panic and my voice comes out as a whisper.

He’s so close. Too close. His massive body cages mine, his weight pressing down on me, one of his hands pinning both of my wrists above my head. Through my delirium, I register the solid heat of him, the overwhelming presence of him, and the way his glowing skin seems to pulse with every ragged breath.

His face is so close to mine that I can feel his breath on my skin. Then he dips lower, his nose featherlight along my neck as he inhales, pulling air into his lungs so deeply that it sends a shiver through me.

Oh my god. He’s scenting me.

Great. I survived an alien abduction only to die because I forgot deodorant!

“Okay,” I mutter, but my voice shakes. “This…is fine. Totally normal alien behavior.” But the words don’t sound convincing, even to me.

He growls again, the sound vibrating through my chest. His nose continues its slow path down my collarbone, his breath warm against my fevered skin. Each place he touches sends conflicting signals through my body—part alarm, part something else I really don’t want to focus on.

“Seriously,” I croak, squirming weakly beneath him. “What are you doing?”

He freezes. His golden eyes meet mine, and for a moment, there’s something almost…human in his expression. Confusion.

But then his gaze drops and I remember I’m only in my bra and panties. His growl returns, louder this time. The light beneath his skin concentrates along his chest and throat, forming intricate patterns that seem to flicker with his quickening heartbeat.

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no.

His pupils blow wide, swallowing the gold of his irises until only a thin ring remains.

“Wait,” I try, my voice cracking. “Don’t?—”

But I don’t get the chance to finish. His head dips lower, and I feel his nose trail down my stomach, leaving a burning path in its wake.

“You really don’t want to,” I whisper, but the words are weak, swallowed by the fever and the weight of him pressing me into the stone.

Then his face is there—between my thighs.

My entire body jerks in shock, every nerve firing at once.

“What the hell are you—” All the words disappear from my lips as he inhales deeply. The sound that comes from him is like an animal catching the scent of prey.

Heat floods my face, my chest, my entire body.

“Stop!” I twist beneath him, trying to close my legs. But his other massive hand clamps down on my leg, holding me open like I’m some kind of offering for him.

A sound tears from his throat—half growl, half groan—and it’s so raw, so primal, that it freezes me in place.

I should be terrified. And I am. But what terrifies me even more is the way my body betrays me. The way heat pools low in my stomach, tangling with my fear and confusion in a way that makes me want to scream.

This isn’t happening.

This can’t be happening.

“Get off me!” I gasp, trying again to squirm free, but it’s useless. He’s too strong, his grip unyielding as his face remains buried between my thighs, his breath hot and steady against my skin.

The sound that comes from him next is almost violent, a deep, feral snarl that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. His entire body goes rigid, his glow flaring bright enough to rival this planet’s sun.

And then he freezes. His glow flickers like a flame in the wind.

The growling stops.

Slowly, his head lifts and his gaze meets mine. I freeze beneath him.

There’s something in his eyes now—something wild and conflicted and utterly alien.

For a moment, we just stare at each other, my chest heaving as I try to catch my breath. Then, as if some invisible switch has been flipped, he lets out a low, frustrated sound and pulls back, releasing me as he retreats.

I scramble backward the moment he’s off me, pressing myself against the cool stone wall, my heart hammering in my chest.

He doesn’t look at me. His shoulders rise and fall as he takes a series of deep, shuddering breaths, his hands flexing at his sides. He looks like he’s fighting something—like he’s barely holding himself together. And the light underneath his skin, it flickers. Wildly. Stars. So many stars. All going on and off at once.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I rasp. My voice trembles and I hate it.

When he turns back to me, there’s something feral in his movement—a wild sort of grace that makes my heart slam against my ribs. He stalks toward me, and I press myself harder against the stone, certain he’s about to…but instead, he reaches down beside me, retrieving a broad leaf I hadn’t noticed before, braced carefully against the rock.

A cool drop of water lands on my chest.

I gasp at the shock of it.

Water.

“You brought water?” My voice is little more than a croak, but the words seem to register. His jaw clenches and he simply stares into my soul the same way he was before. That deep, probing gaze that makes me feel like he’s trying to push thoughts directly into my mind. As if he could make me understand whatever he’s thinking through sheer force of will alone.

His chest heaves with every breath as he reaches for me, slipping an arm beneath my shoulders and lifting me slightly. All the while, that storm of light erupts under his skin, worse now that he’s close again—as if being close to me is setting off some kind of virus in him. The movement presses my body against his, and I gasp.

His temperature has changed. While my skin flares with heat, his is cool.

The contrast is shocking—his skin feels like smooth stone left in the shade, soothing against the fever burning beneath my own. The chill of him seeps into me, chasing away the dizziness for one fleeting moment, and I can’t stop the involuntary sigh that escapes my lips.

He brings the leaf to my lips, and I drink greedily, the water cool and impossibly sweet. It’s nothing like the stale, chemical taste of the emergency rations. Nothing like water back home, either. This is pure—perfect. Sent from the fountain of the gods.

“More,” I whisper.

Before I know it, the last few drops disappear down my throat.

“Fuck.”

The alien’s eyes narrow slightly, his gaze flicking to my fevered body before he presses his palm against my forehead. His cool touch is electric, and my body reacts before I can stop it, a small sound of relief escaping my lips.

His expression shifts at the sound—something dark flickering across his face.

Then, just like that, he’s gone again, moving toward the cave entrance with that strange, fluid grace.

“Wait…” I manage. “Don’t leave me. Please.”

But he doesn’t leave. Instead, he gathers something from outside the cave—smooth stones, arranging them in a circle on the ground at my feet.

For a moment, my thoughts drift back to the transport. To Jacqui waiting for me, probably pacing and snapping at anyone who tells her to calm down. To Erika, meticulously rationing supplies, marking off how many hours I’ve been gone. To the others, watching the horizon for my return with dwindling hope. The guilt is almost as hot as the fever. I promised I’d come back with answers, with help. Instead, I’m dying in a cave with a creature I can’t even communicate with.

The fever pulls me under again, my mind fogging as I collapse against the rock at my back. His scent wraps around me. It’s earthy and metallic, like sun-baked stone, and my back arches instinctively. My nipples tighten to painful points, rubbing against my bra with every ragged breath. I should be terrified. I should be fighting. Instead, my hips rock faintly, seeking friction where there is none. Consciousness fades in and out. But one thought lingers, clear and sharp through the haze.

What the fuck is happening to him?

What the fuck is happening to me ?